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Project Details
INFOS
PITCH
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Genre : 3rd person shooter, action, puzzle
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Target Player : Mid to Hardcore players
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Dev Team Size : 1
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Duration : 1.5 months
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Software : Unreal 4.27
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Target Platform : PC (Keyboard)
Play as a robot, let's learn and master two different jumppads to dive into the ultimate fun of jumppads in this sandbox map!
FEATURES
TWO JUMPPADS, COUNTLESS THRILLS.
JumpPads
In BOUNCEED, You can place 2 different kind of jumppads all around the map, besides from using them seperately or individually to reach different places, there's also a lot of interaction and possible gameplays with them !
Blue JumpPad
This jumppad simply launches you forward, or rebounds you outward when it's placed on the wall. You will feel more agile while stepping on this pad.
Red JumpPad
This jumppad launches you in the direction it faces,
its powerful launch makes its harder to control while in the air.
Move Differently.
Both jumppads launch you differently. Therefore, using them wisely could make your movements more agile.
When stepping on 2 different jump pads without landing, then you can make a double jump ! (Tripple infact)
Besides...
Vivid Interaction
You can interact with buttons to access various areas, control elevators, and even see through walls.
Most props within the map are interactive and can be manipulated using special firearms to trigger other mechanisms.
Additionally, different jumppads' interactions allow you to launch objects or creatively rebound your bullets to target enemies from unexpected angles.
Pickups and firearms
A complete pickup and shooting system including collect, equip, and drop various firearms and pickups could let you become a trigger-happy and have unlimitted of fun in this sandbox map !
WORK FOCUS
For this project, I was primarily centered on 2 parts:
Gameplay
Dive into"JumpPads" gameplay and find its potential.
Jumppad plays as a classic 'gameplay bricks' in many games, often used for long-distance horizontal or vertical movement. However, most games only consider them as a minor element for movement, lacking further exploration of the 'Jumppad' element.
Therefore, I believe making 'Jumppads' the central focus of this game and letting them to play multiple roles in gameplay would be a fantastic idea.
Just imagine that creating a puzzle-like game based-on 'Jumppads.' That's never heard of !
Feelings
Let players enjoy the excitement and fun of placing jumppads.
In terms of the emotions I intended to evoke, the focus is on excitement and novelty.
Creating excitement requires delicate adjustments in post-processing and camera work; these are the areas where players will most directly experience it.
Regarding novelty, designing a level with multiple paths is an excellent idea. With these two jumppads, players can explore numerous pathways to reach the level's goal.
EVOLUTION
Before Proto → Proto → Alpha → Beta → Gold → ?
Prologue
A learning project to help me get familar with the engine...
Before the project is started, I started a project for learning the Unreal Engine, spent a week completing animation blueprints, guns, pickups and stuff.
Players can shoot smoothly and fly with jetpack in this little prototype.
It was a great project for learning the engine, but not good enough if I wanted to make this project as a school project since it lacks of creativity.
Therefore, I just stopped developing, and start planning instead.
Prototype
At this moment, I was planning my development direction, crafting documentation, and making the prototype.
The documentation was always a pain for a guy that do more than he talks, like me.
But during making it, I did find out this is way more effective and clear than straight go into the production. I can see how can I go, and far can I go.
It was awsome !
Early Game's Concept Document
After making documents, I was able to let myself dive into the development.
I did a lot a calculations to make sure the jumppads works properly in every situation.
Robot_1
Robot_2
Robot_1
1/2
I also found and rigged the new character mesh to replace the mannequin, which looks like the robot from "Chappie".
I made serval playtests, even the game still lacks of guidance and gamefeel at this point, the players were pretty amazed at this kind of new gameplay, which is so fun and addictive.
With this kind of feedback, I was of course even more motivated to work on the project...
Alpha
In the Alpha version, I was focus on making interactions and functions.
During playtests, players had difficulties understanding the game due to the absence of a systematic tutorial and UI elements.
However, they were impressed by the overall quality of the game despite these limitations.
Tutorial
Tutorial
3rd floor of the Tutorial
Tutorial
1/8
In the meantime, I was developing tutorials in the new sandbox map, designed to function similarly to a regular level.
I am confident that the tutorial will address the guidance issue, and significantly enhance the overall gameplay experience.
Beta
In the Beta version, I was focus on enhancing the game feel, completing a full map, and refining accessibility.
Thanks to the blueprint objects I created with a clear structure facilitated the integration, requiring only a few days to configure the entire map, which progressed smoothly.
During this playtest, I intentionally refrained from providing guidance, allowing players to intuitively immerse themselves in the game.
Despite having to cut some content due to time constraints, I view this as a significant success, as the players genuinely appreciated and enjoyed the game.
After Beta
Normally, the project is done after the milestone at school.
But my passion for it made me want to continue its development.
To my surprise, the video gained significant traction and received many comments expressing excitement for its release. This response motivated me to commit further to the project.
Gold
The latest iteration focused on enhancing robustness and accessibility, since most aspects were already covered in the Beta Version.
Over a month, I refined the Beta version by fixing numerous bugs that
I hadn't had time to address previously.
Additionally, I introduced settings and localization options. The game now offers language settings in Chinese or English, automatically adjusting based on the player's region.
Now...?
Perhaps for me, the journey of developing this game isn't over yet.
If you are interested in working with me, don't hesitate to ask me, I am more than willing to continue its development together.
Reflections ?
1. It's important to think strategically :
Before this project, I used to do things without much planning. But during this project, I learned that doing so restricted my ideas a lot. It made my project less creative and limited its potential. So now, I always think about what it's needed before starting, and that helps me a lot.
2. I truly discovered my strengths during development :
Working alone on this project allows me to explore different parts of game-making. I realized I can turn my game ideas into a playable prototype pretty fast. Also, making smooth things in gamefeel is also something I'm good at. It's great to have this skill, giving me an edge in my field and helping a lot with my projects."
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